Coronavirus (COVID-19)

[Gaz]

An absolute mystery why things were going so well last year until August / September time

[Markka]

Our local council are trying to claim the reopening of schools for P1-P3 pupils from Monday are for "mainstream" pupils only and that pupils in that age group with additional support needs / disabilities are only due to go back part time.
I am fucking sick of the gaslighting that happens as part of being an ASN parent.

A mate of mine works in an ASN school and got his first vaccine dose a couple of weeks ago. He's healthy and in his 30s, and I thought the whole point of him (and presumably his colleagues) being bumped up the priority list in order to get their pupils back in school asap.

[Big Fifer]

Was there any point last year, other than a weird 1 week where the tory ministers went mental, where we were encouraged back to the office? I honestly can barely remember given every day has merged into one these days. Given offices were the first thing closed last time I think, I've absolutely no idea when or if I'll be back in the office at this "cautious" rate. 

[MP_MFC]

NRS stats out today also showing massive drops in deaths in the oldest age groups in the last 3 weeks down 45% and care homes down 62% in the same period.

Surely more great news for vaccine efficacy in preventing death.

[Bairnardo]

Our local council are trying to claim the reopening of schools for P1-P3 pupils from Monday are for "mainstream" pupils only and that pupils in that age group with additional support needs / disabilities are only due to go back part time.
I am fucking sick of the gaslighting that happens as part of being an ASN parent.

I was under the impression that Sturgeons chat about extra support for additional needs meant that in many cases, P4 to 7 would also get to go back, rather than it meaning not all of P1 to 3 and pre school would go back.

Am I wrong or are folk saying thats not the case? I know, for example, the staff at Kinnaird Thistle Wing are all expecting to go back to FT hours next week and indeed many of them were contacted over the last 24 hours re their vaccines

[Thereisalight..]

3 hours ago, Ron Aldo said:

3 hours ago, Tynierose said:

3 days at Craig Tara in October.  No alcohol music or laughing permitted.

But can they be sure there isn't a Craig Tara variant?

You guys think Craig Tara is grim? You should be thankful it’s not the Butlins that was on the same site. That place was ten times worse

[RiG]

36 minutes ago, TheScarf said:

Watched the Champions League final in Platform 8 and I don't remember much of it.  I remember the next fucking day though 

A mighty tab was run up between ourselves and the Germans sitting at the table behind us 

[Marshmallo]

Me irl when bae finds my phone after I've told her I'm texting zero other girls

 

Edited February 17, 2021 by Marshmallo

[George Parr]

3 minutes ago, Big Fifer said:

Was there any point last year, other than a weird 1 week where the tory ministers went mental, where we were encouraged back to the office? I honestly can barely remember given every day has merged into one these days. Given offices were the first thing closed last time I think, I've absolutely no idea when or if I'll be back in the office at this "cautious" rate. 

The work from home instruction has been in place continuously in Scotland since March. I would expect we won’t be encouraged back until some point in 2022.

[accies1874]

After the chat yesterday about restrictions being eased even slower than last summer I thought it was worth trying to put together a sort of time line of restrictions for comparison:
23rd March

• Lockdown begins

10th May 

• Once a day exercise limit lifted

29th May  

• Two households can now meet outside

19th June 

• People living alone or single parents with children can form what is described as an "extended group" with one other household, including overnight stays
• three households can meet up outdoors

22nd June

• The wearing of face coverings becomes compulsory on public transport
• Dentists are allowed to reopen for patients in need of urgent treatment
• Health services increased
• Places of worship for individual prayer

29 June

• Non essential retailers reopen in Scotland

9th July

• Can now meet up indoors with two other households from 10 July, and also in extended groups outside of up to fifteen from the same day

10th July

• wearing of face coverings becomes mandatory in shops in Scotland

13th July

•  Shopping centres are permitted to reopen in Scotland
• outdoor contact sports resume for children

15th July 

• Hairdressers and barbers, pubs and restaurants, cinemas, tourist attractions, places of worship and childcare facilities reopen

17th July

• Shielding can visit holiday accommodation, as well as outdoor markets and gardens

1st August

• Shielding programme is paused for England and Scotland

5th August

• Lockdown restrictions are re-imposed on Aberdeen

8th August

• Face coverings required  in libraries, museums and places of worship

10th August

• Care home visits allowed for three outdoor visitors per person from two separate households.

11th August

• Schools reopen full time. 

24th August

• Travel & indoor gathering bans in Aberdeen lifted.

26th August

• Aberdeen bars and restaurants allowed to re-open.

31st August 

• Face coverings become mandatory for Scottish secondary schools
• Gyms, swimming pools and indoor sports courts are permitted to reopen

1st September

• Restrictions on visiting other households are reintroduced in Glasgow and the neighbouring areas of West Dunbartonshire and East Renfrewshire

7th September

• Restrictions on home visits in the West of Scotland are extended to cover Renfrewshire and East Dunbartonshire

11th September

• Households in Lanarkshire are banned from mixing from midnight

9th October

• Bars and restaurants in the Central Belt must close from 18:00 on 9 October, the closure remaining in place until 25 October; licensed premises in other areas can remain open for outdoor service only.

2nd November

• Tier system reintroduced (tier 3 amended on 12th December to prohibit alcohol)

This has made me realise that I don't have a fucking clue what I was doing in April, May and June and pretty much all of these dates up until around November are a blur.

[Gaz]

3 minutes ago, Bairnardo said:

I was under the impression that Sturgeons chat about extra support for additional needs meant that in many cases, P4 to 7 would also get to go back, rather than it meaning not all of P1 to 3 and pre school would go back.

Am I wrong or are folk saying thats not the case? I know, for example, the staff at Kinnaird Thistle Wing are all expecting to go back to FT hours next week and indeed many of them were contacted over the last 24 hours re their vaccines

The council are claiming the announcement yesterday was that "all mainstream P1-P3 pupils will return from 22nd". It very much wasn't. The announcement was for "all P1-P3 pupils". The council have deliberately input the word "mainstream" into their e-mail to gaslight folk. The word "mainstream" wasn't used in Parliament yesterday.

[TheScarf]

3 minutes ago, RiG said:

A mighty tab was run up between ourselves and the Germans sitting at the table behind us 

Christ I forgot about them.

[Bairnardo]

3 minutes ago, Gaz said:

The council are claiming the announcement yesterday was that "all mainstream P1-P3 pupils will return from 22nd". It very much wasn't. The announcement was for "all P1-P3 pupils". The council have deliberately input the word "mainstream" into their e-mail to gaslight folk. The word "mainstream" wasn't used in Parliament yesterday.

Certainly that's not the way I took what NS said. I took it to mean additional time would be afforded over and above the pre school and P1 to 3, to kids regardless of age where need dictated it. Think the council are absolutely at it there tbh, and it's a bit shameful to be injecting that shit in there. "Mainstream" ffs. 

[Billy Jean King]

I honestly thought things would almost be back to “normal” once all the elderly/vulnerable had received their 2 doses. Instead we seem to want to wait until everyone over 18 has received theirs “just incase”. 
As an aside I see there’s 10 million people in the UK on NHS waiting lists for things like cancer, heart problems, mental health. Many of these people won’t get the treatment they need as it’s covid that matters these days, nothing else. 

Cancer treatment is and has been continuing normally.

[Benjamin_Nevis]

5 minutes ago, George Parr said:

The work from home instruction has been in place continuously in Scotland since March. I would expect we won’t be encouraged back until some point in 2022.

Yeah that's my recollection. I reckon my employer (local council) are probably creaming themselves at the potential savings and we'll be WFH long term, even after this is over. Potentially in the office 1 day a week or so. 

[Todd_is_God]

10 minutes ago, Marshmallo said:

Me irl when bae finds my phone after I've told her I'm texting zero other girls

 

If the #ZeroCovid fantasists really mean "few occurrances of severe illness" then the completion of the vaccine programme alone will achieve that. There is no reason to believe that will not be the case based on the data we have so far.

There is no place for restrictions / TTI in a highly vaccinated society.

The benefit of keeping them will be close to nil.

I'm relectantly fine with these things sticking around until the completion of said roll out, but I'm not getting the impression the likes of DS think they can ever be gotten rid of.

Edited February 17, 2021 by Todd_is_God

[parsforlife]

3 hours ago, Gaz said:

Our local council are trying to claim the reopening of schools for P1-P3 pupils from Monday are for "mainstream" pupils only and that pupils in that age group with additional support needs / disabilities are only due to go back part time.

I am fucking sick of the gaslighting that happens as part of being an ASN parent.

I believe down south pupils who require significant extra support( beyond say a dyslexic having use of a laptop)  have never been required to stop attending school.   Quite a difference if they are returning at a slower rate up here. 

Edited February 17, 2021 by parsforlife

[super_carson]

2 minutes ago, No_Problemo said:

Good work - was thinking of doing similar but far too lazy! 
 

So given we will be going slower then last time we can look forward to a haircut at the end of May, and getting to the gym about June. Should get to a pub for the Euro’s though! Although I’m just adding a month to everything in terms of being cautious, likely be more. 

I actually think so much of our exit will depend on what happens with furlough.  I think if it does get it extended into May it will be scaled back to provide support for specific sectors as a compromise.  I get the impression that Sunak is part of the group of Tory MPs who want to see restrictions lifted in order to promote economic recovery, but I don't think he's daft enough to pull the rug from under the hundreds of thousands who will still not be allowed to work.  

To that end, I can imagine the start of May involving the low risk non-essential retail, gyms, barbers etc. and possibly dry-restaurants.  I think things that don't cost money, like household mixing and contact sports will be pushed further back as an attempt to compromise.  Crowds will still be banned well beyond August or September, although that's an easy one for the SG as the season ends in May anyway.  The euros may be an issue, but I can see the euro format being changed to a single country anyway.

That all being said, considering  the SG doesn't have direct control over furlough I am surprised that NS announced the plans would be laid out next week.  I know she said it will be data driven and not by dates, so that provides her some flexibility, but I wonder if it's a calculated move.  Either she knows something we don't, and that furlough will be extended into the summer, or she is attempting force Sunak's hand while simultaneously deflecting criticism of a protracted easing.   

May is such a vital time in context of furlough and our elections.  If NS publishes the road map and it involves large numbers of people being banned from working well into the summer under the guise of saving lives, it may compel Sunak to extend furlough as to avoid a significant backlash up here (thus furthering the support for Indy). If Sunak doesn't extend blanket furlough, then any changes to restrictions in Scotland will need to be amended to accommodate for that. I don't think NS is going to want to see mass unemployment rise during the context of the election, nor do I think she would gamble thousands of jobs on who blinks first, but if it does result in restrictions being eased faster than she says she would like then it becomes much easier to deflect the blame on to the Tory's if shit goes sideways again.  If rates stay low (probably as a result of the vaccination problem) then it can be turned into vindication for our harsher and longer lockdowns (again).  

I know that all sounds cynical and tinfoil hat but for what it's worth, I am pro-indy and I don't view furlough as some benevolent gift from down south - we more than pay our fair share.  But the reality is we don't have control over it, so we are the mercy of the wider UK policy.  We are dealing with politicians on both sides here; they may be saying one thing in parliament and on camera, but policies are strategic especially in the context of an election and by May I think economic recovery will be a bigger part of the conversation than it is just now.  

[madwullie]

1 hour ago, Dons_1988 said:

I know they go way overboard with the risk to younger people but I do know someone who was 31, fit and healthy training for a marathon and came very close to dying from Covid.

9 months on they still haven't found any underlying health condition that may have caused him to react so badly.

#metoo

That boy that was on life support in Vietnam for months was a good friend when we were younger. Bit older at 42 but he's a pilot so generally in pretty good condition, albeit it's possible he has some underlying thing I don't know about. 

[Billy Jean King]

All close contacts of anyone testing positive now to be tested as a matter of course rather than only needing to test if developing symptoms. Got to keep those positive test numbers up (although moot today's as back over 1100 without this change in policy)